NEW HORIZONS MAGAZINE FROM • ISSUE 1. 2015

Theme: DIVERSITY GENETIC VARIATION IS A NECESSITY page 12

IN THIS ISSUE: THE MAP OF THE BODY´S PROTEINS page 14 VISION: ENERGY FOR EVERYONE page 20 HANDWRITING BECOMES SEARCHABLE page 32 1 NEW Issue 1. 2015 HORIZONS IN THIS ISSUE:

4 Who is your neighbour?

8 Broadening the image of Islam

9 The advantages of multilingualism

10 Healthcare on (un)equal terms?

11 Growing interest in geotourism

Protecting diversity 12 Genetic variation is a necessity IN THIS ISSUE OF NEW HORIZONS, we examine diversity from 14 Report: The map of the body´s proteins a variety of perspectives. The issue of diversity is always current, not least at a university like ours. 20 Researcher profile:Mats Leijon As a broad-based research university with nine faculties, contains a diverse range of disciplines. And it is in the 24 The battle for the bedroom interface between different perspectives that new knowledge aris- 25 Joint search for new antibiotics es. Arguments are tested and refined during critical discussion and open . 26 Wind in the sails of sustainable development In ‘Goals and Strategies for Uppsala University’, which was re- cently adopted by the University Board, the foreword states that 28 The pregnancy test that changed everything ‘The clearer we are in our core values—integrity and critical think- 30 Closer collaboration with company ing, openness and diversity, democracy and justice—the more we also dare challenge ourselves and set bold and ambitious goals.’ 32 A Google for handwriting Our goals and strategies also include the fact that our operations should be characterised by an ethical approach and equal terms and 34 The history of Russia becomes clearer conditions. ‘Basic principles of gender equality and the equal value 35 The secret behind shoes of all people are applied so that staff and are supported and encouraged to develop their capability to the full.’ 36 Alumnus profile:Archbishop Antje Jackelén Regarding equality between women and men, we have made progress within and research education, but have a little 38 A fascination with Mayan way to go in terms of teaching appointments, particularly at pro- fessor level. But the trend is moving in the right direction. We will probably reach our ambitious goal for the period 2012-2015 of at least 36% of newly appointed professors being women. We will be New Horizons is Uppsala University’s magazine about research and education. completely satisfied when the gender distribution is entirely even. It is issued twice a year in English, and in Swedish as Nya horisonter. The magazine Equality is not merely a question of justice, it is also to a large extent can be ordered free of charge or downloaded as a PDF from: a quality issue. www.uu.se/new-horizons Diversity and equal terms and conditions are also important Address: Communication and External Relations Uppsala University values within education, where we welcome students from differ- P.O. Box 256, SE-751 05 Uppsala, ent backgrounds. It is interesting to notice that our Education and Editor: Annica Hulth, [email protected] Research Minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson often talks of broad- Editorial board: Magnus Alsne, Anders Berndt, Anneli Björkman, Reihaneh Dehghani, ened recruitment. I welcome the concept being placed on the agen- Sara Gredemark, Linda Koffmar, Anna Malmberg. da again, after having been conspicuously absent for some time. Executive editor: Urban Lindberg It is important for a university like ours to be open and welcom- Layout: Södra tornet ing. By being conscious that there are other perspectives and that Printing: Danagård Litho English translation: Translated we look at the world with different eyes, we can appreciate that what we take for granted can be strange to someone else. n

Eva Åkesson, Vice-Chancellor By choosing this paper we have reduced our climate impact by more than 35 per cent. The paper is produced in Sweden, and the amount of water used in its production is uniquely low. The raw materials come from ‘FSC forests’.

2 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Who is your neighbour? 4 The body’s building blocks. 14 Segregation increases in cities. Finished after 12 years’ work How does it affect our lives? —the map of the body’s proteins.

Mats Leijon. 20 Reading script. 32 All at sea. 26

Variation is everywhere

DIVERSITY CAN BE SO MUCH, as you will see when you read on. For example, what is the case regarding diversity in urban areas when segregation is increasing in Stockholm and other large cities? New research shows that where you live has a major impact on your life as a whole. We also examine linguistic diversity. Pupils who speak several languages are successful at school—and not simply in languages. Regarding , there are many people who are happy that it is now possible to study Islamic theology and philosophy at Uppsala University. But how does diversity work in the natural world? Researchers are telling us that we are facing a mass extinction, as the Earth is losing biological diversity at an ever increasing rate. And it’s clearly the result of human action. As usual in New Horizons, we also examine the latest research breakthroughs—for ex- ample the Protein Atlas which is now complete after 12 years’ hard work. The Atlas de- scribes where in the body the approximately 10,000 proteins are found and what functions they have. Yet another example of diversity. n Annica Hulth, editor [email protected]

3 THEME: DIVERSITY

Rich and poor are living in a more isolated way than before, and in different housing areas.

4 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOUR – and what difference does it make?

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH ILLUSTRATION: TORBJÖRN GOZZI

Who do you A NEW STUDY of geographical changes between Norra Djurgårdsstaden for strong socio-­economic 1995 and 2010 shows that segregation is increasing groups means that segregation is reinforced, as meet in the in Stockholm. Researchers have compared demo- differences between housing areas persist. graphic and socio-economic conditions. They have ‘With its current orientation, planning is not a corner shop or also used nearest neighbour data, for example an solution to segregation but instead an additional individual’s 5 closest neighbours, or 10, or 100. problem’, says Jon Loit. at the bus stop? The calculations have been carried out by a computer program developed by John Östh, re- HIS RESEARCH FORMS part of the ‘Dilemmas Whose kitchen searcher in cultural geography at Uppsala Univer- of diversity’ research programme at the Institute sity, and show that segregation is increasing. for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) in Uppsa- window is ‘The most notable aspect is the major increase la. Research manager and cultural geography pro- opposite yours? in economic segregation, with poor people being fessor Roger Andersson explains that although more isolated today than previously and with the research is focused on Sweden it has aroused While diversity large numbers of those close to a poor person major international interest. also being poor themselves. Even more isolated ‘The basic questions are extremely relevant now is increasing is the rich group, who are living more separate that both immigration and racism are on the in- lives than previously and who to an ever greater crease. Almost all of is facing a future with in cities, some extent live their everyday lives encountering poor a rapidly increasing older population, while the individuals rarely or not at all’, say the researchers. birth rate is falling. One thing that could provide a groups are solution to the problem is immigration from non-­ AT THE SAME time a new thesis shows that town European countries. At the same time resistance to becoming ever planning in Stockholm reinforces this trend. ‘Town immigration is increasing. It’s a structural dilemma more isolated. planning is market oriented and its objective is to shared by many countries’, says Roger Andersson. encourage growth, with social objectives taking a The question of segregation is complex, be- back seat’, says cultural geographer Jon Loit. cause different values come into conflict. For ex- He has investigated the planning of two entire- ample, we all have a basic right to decide where ly different housing areas: the change programme we want to live. At the same time, has its for the tower blocks around the Järvafältet area own views and wants less segregation. within the framework of the Järvalyftet pro- ‘There is a tendency for many native Swedes to gramme, and the new town development area of demonstrate avoidance behaviour and leave areas Norra Djurgårdsstaden. with few Swedes. At the same time they are com- ‘Overall, Stockholm’s town planning can be pletely entitled to make these decisions. It’s the expected to result in an exclusionary city reserved dilemma between the free choice of the individ- for inhabitants with work and higher incomes’, ual and the sometimes undesirable collective out- observes Jon Loit. come of that same choice’, says Roger Andersson. He says that planning is leading to segrega- tion becoming entrenched and that Stockholm TWO PHENOMENA ARE behind this develop- continues to be a divided city. In particular, the ment. Partly the fact that many new Swedes, not planning and construction of a lifestyle area like least for financial reasons, are excluded from large

5 get back into work if you live in an area where The most important factor in the many other people have jobs. We know that net- choice of housing is the individual’s works are important for income development.’ financial circumstances. HOUSING AREAS CHANGE constantly, as do their inhabitants. In Sweden we have good op- portunities to monitor this development. ‘We have built up a strong research profile in Sweden with register data which means that we can follow individuals and households over time. We have a major advantage in Sweden because we have made major investments in data supply’, says Roger Andersson. And the latest research shows that segregation is increasing in Stockholm, which affects what parts of the housing market and restricted to a happens in everyday life. few housing areas dominated by rental units. And ‘We have a welfare policy which is based on partly the fact that many of the people belong- the rights of the individual. If it turns out that ing to ‘mainstream society’ choose to move away sorting of life opportunities is occurring on the from housing areas inhabited by people from dif- basis of where someone lives then we need to em- ferent . ploy additional resources.’ The most important factor in the choice of There is today a growing group of people who housing is, of course, the individual’s financial can’t afford to remain in their homes as a result circumstances. of rent increases, for example in the Million Pro- ‘In the last 20 years, we have had a situation gramme flats in Stockholm suburbs. These are with much stronger socio-economic segregation large housing areas which were constructed in and increasing social differences. Previously we the 1970s and which came to be inhabited by the had many mixed housing areas, but now the most vulnerable in society. If it turns poorest people have become poorer and this out that stimulates ethnic segregation.’ THESE ARE NOW being refitted and renovated, But does where you live really have such a with the result that rents are increased and many sorting of life major impact on your life, education, career and people are being forced to move because they health? cannot afford to remain; 25% of residents accord- opportunities One thing is certain: it plays a major role in a ing to a 2014 report from the Swedish National city, where a kind of geographical sorting is in op- Board of Housing, Building and Planning. Sara is occurring eration—contributing, for example, to the choice Westin is one of the researchers who has investi- of schools or leisure activities. gated the problem of ‘renoviction’, which resulted on the basis of ‘Even in a smaller town the neighbourhood in the report ‘...but where can we go next?’ (‘… where someone plays a role. But on the larger scale, the neigh- men vart ska vi då ta vägen?’), which was commis- bourhood is responsible for sorting more than sioned by the Swedish Union of Tenants. lives then we simply housing.’ ‘The overall conclusion is that it is necessary to continue to challenge beliefs about how renova- need to employ OF COURSE WHERE you live in relation to en- tion should function’, says Sara Westin. vironmental disruption plays an enormous role. For property owners, renovation can be an op- additional ‘We know that poor people live in worse envi- portunity to raise standards and attract new ten- ronments, for example close to noisy and danger- ants. In their eagerness to maximise their profits, resources. ous roads or with poor access to different types of they can undertake an overly luxurious renova- service such as schools and elderly care, and this tion and raise the standard to a level that the res- naturally has a major impact on their lives. When idents can’t afford. it comes to neighbours and your relationships ‘We are in a period in which so-called business with them it becomes even more complex, as principles control the Swedish housing market. our social networks aren’t linked to our housing.’ The property owners themselves emphasise the This applies particularly today, as the free importance of ‘market adaptation’ and the desire choice of schools has made it possible to choose a to ‘reach new customer groups’. If you want to school in another part of town. As children grow reach new customer groups, that means that oth- up, the choice of school is therefore perhaps even er people have to move out.’ more decisive than the location of their home. ‘In terms of the adult employment market THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES to make an impact, and careers, it has been shown that it is easier to for example through the Swedish Union of Tenants,

6 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 RELATIVE WEALTH IN STOCKHOLM (%) Share of inhabitants categorised as wealthy (relative wealth as defined by the EU)

1995 2010 1995 2010

Rinkeby Kista Rinkeby Kista

Spånga-Tensta Sånga-Tensta

Hässelby-Vällingby Hässelby-Vällingby

Bromma Bromma

Norrmalm Norrmalm

Kungsholmen Kungsholmen PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT PHOTO: Östermalm Östermalm Irene Molina, professor at the Institute of Housing and Urban Research. Gamla Stan Söder Gamla stan-Söder

but it is difficult as an individual tenant to refuse a Hägersten-Liljeholmen Hägersten-Liljeholmen

renovation even if it will mean a rent increase. Skärholmen Skärholmen ‘Our study shows that the process which precedes a renovation is often not democratic. Älvsjö Älvsjö

The tenants have very little opportunity to affect Enskede-Årsta-Vantör Enskede-Årsta-Vantör the level of renovation.’ Professor Irene Molina has long monitored the Skarpnäck Skarpnäck Million Programme in her research and she feels Farsta Farsta that the situation is serious. 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 3 6 9 12 15 ‘We are in a housing crisis, not on the housing market but for people who have nowhere to live or who see their housing threatened. We need to mobilise all of our forces to do something about these problems.’ UNEMPLOYMENT IN STOCKHOLM (%) One opportunity for this was the latest Hous- Share of inhabitants unemployed, ages 16–34 ing Meeting organised in the autumn by the In- 1995 stitute2010 for Housing and Urban Research. The par- 1995 2010 Rinkeby Kista ticipants included several actors in the housing Rinkeby Kista market—politicians, officials, municipal employ- Spånga-Tensta ees, the County Council, the Swedish National Sånga-Tensta Hässelby-Vällingby Board of Housing, Building and Planning, SABO Hässelby-Vällingby and the Swedish Union of Tenants. Bromma ‘We consider that our mission is important— Bromma Norrmalm housing issues affect us all on a daily basis. So we Norrmalm collaborate constantly with other actors’, says Kungsholmen Kungsholmen Irene Molina. n Östermalm Östermalm

Gamla Stan Söder Gamla stan-Söder DILEMMAS OF DIVERSITY Hägersten-Liljeholmen Hägersten-Liljeholmen

Skärholmen • Financed by Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Skärholmen Health, Working Life and Welfare) from 2010 to 2015. Älvsjö Älvsjö • The research programme was based on the re- Enskede-Årsta-Vantör search into ethnic relationships, housing segregation, Enskede-Årsta-Vantör metropolitan policy and local political participation Skarpnäck Skarpnäck which was developed at the Institute for Housing Farsta and Urban Research (IBF) at Uppsala University. Farsta • A large part of the research was carried out by 0 10 20 30 40 50 cultural geographers and political scientists, but 0 3 6 9 12 15 the programme group also includes economists, SOURCE: Segregation i Stockholms län, sociologists and an anthropologist. Council ILLUSTRATION: Södra tornet

7 THEME: DIVERSITY Broadening THE IMAGE OF ISLAM

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

There are many dif- TWO YEARS AGO Sweden’s first professorship One of his books is entitled ‘Whose Islam?’ and in in Islamic theology and philosophy was created it he is careful to emphasise that Muslims are not ferent types of Islam. at the Theological Institute in Uppsala. With a a homogeneous group. Islam has everything from Professor Moham- background as a historian of ideas at Umeå Uni- extreme traditionalist interpretations through to versity, Mohammad Fazlhashemi was perfect for those who are trying to reconcile feminism and mad Fazlhashemi the position. democracy with Islam. wants to broaden the As an expert in Islamic , he is often in- Often, what has often been called political Is- volved with and comments on events in the Middle lam has emerged in communities in crisis, where image of one of the East. In addition to media interviews, he frequently the rule of law and democracy have failed, he says. largest in lectures to groups of teachers and employees in the ‘We know that extremism thrives in a public sector. A few years ago he published a book non-democratic environment which also has Sweden. There is a about the Arab Spring in which he described the economic problems and corruption. By working great deal of interest democracy movement in the Middle East. Since toward better economic distribution and coun- then democracy efforts have turned into violence tering corruption, extremism can be prevented.’ in the new courses in in countries such as Syria and Iraq where the IS, the Islamic theology and Islamic State, has tried to take power. LAST SUMMER, HE gave the first summer ‘The barbaric terrorists of IS have for many be- course on the Arab Spring and the politics of Is- philosophy. come the symbol of Islam. I try to counteract that lam. In addition, four different courses are taught image. Why have such extreme interpretations of on Islamic theology and philosophy. Ultimately, Islam arisen, and what are they expressions of? Then an educational programme will be created, but we can better understand how to avoid the occur- this does not mean that the theological institu- rence of extremism’, says Mohammad Fazlhashemi. tion will start training imams. Just as in the case of Christian theology, this is a ‘non-denominational’ education and any training of priests, pastors or imams is provided via different means, Moham- mad Fazlhashemi emphasises. ‘The important point is that Islam can now be studied in its own context and not from an outside perspective. There are already courses on the historical aspects and the Middle East, but the study of Islam on the basis of its own propositions is something new.’ n

The important point is that Islam can now be studied in its proper context

8 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Broadening The advantages THE IMAGE OF ISLAM OF MULTILINGUALISM

TEXT: KIM BERGSTRÖM PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

‘Multilingualism is not a problem, it’s a gift.’ So says Leena Huss, linguist and research leader of the minority studies programme at the Hugo Valentin Centre at Uppsala University.

LEARNING A LANGUAGE keeps the brain active. And just like She believes that the whole of society benefits from a more open all other activities that exercise the brain, more language training attitude towards minority and second languages. makes the brain ‘stronger’ and more efficient. ‘They feel more like a part of society, reducing the bitterness ‘Research has shown that children who grow up multilingual are and hopelessness that some people feel. Young people who fight for more creative, find it easier to assimilate new languages and have their language become more actively involved in the community greater metalinguistic awareness.’ instead of feeling depressed or neglected. It’s my firm belief that Metalinguistic awareness means that children are better able this is a good thing for society.’ to discuss things and to reflect on language, not merely to use it. That’s why Leena Huss thinks that Sweden should create more For example, young multilingual children notice that others speak opportunities for children to become multilingual and continue other languages, ask how they work and compare them with the to be so. n languages they speak. They point out similarities and differences. ‘This, in turn, seems to also favour success in subjects other than languages.’

ANYONE LOOKING AT Europe could easily get the impression that ‘one country—one language’ is the norm. But that isn’t the case, says Leena Huss. ‘It is often said that over half of humanity is multilingual. Cur- rently Europe is pretty poor in language terms, because for a long time many countries in Europe had the idea that a single language was desirable and there was a strong assimilation policy. Outside of Europe, things aren’t really like that.’ But even in Europe this has been partially reversed by the Coun- cil of Europe Minority Languages Charter and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. ‘We can already see big differences. Minorities have been given more of a say, national legislation has been amended and minorities have come back to life. I study southern Sami. Old people who were beaten or harassed in other ways at school can now see that their language has val- ue and is something to preserve. It’s almost a vindication for the discrimination they suffered. They can also see that they can be Swedes without sacrificing their Sami origin.’

Leena Huss believes that the whole of society benefits from a more open attitude towards minority and second languages.

9 THEME: DIVERSITY Healthcare on

ever more difficult to access the healthcare system. This is a development which can (UN)EQUAL weaken society, as illness quickly impedes entry to the employment market’, says Rag- nar Westerling, professor in social medicine. TERMS? THE INSIGHT FIRST came about in 1987, when the Swedish National Board of Health TEXT: MAGNUS ALSNE PHOTO: MATTON and Welfare in its first public health report noted the relatively uneven distribution of Healthcare on equal terms DESPITE THE REGULATIONS in the health among the population, and that the Health and Medical Service Act, health- greatest illness was found among socially vul- is the basis of good public care services don’t benefit everyone equal- nerable groups. The situation has continued, health. As socially exposed ly. Socially vulnerable groups often end up and in 2012 Project Athena began, involving outside the system; particularly those born a number of actors in com- groups find it increasingly outside Sweden, who are twice as likely as ing together to promote health and proxim- difficult to enter the Swedes not to seek healthcare when in need. ity to the employment market among for- ‘Swedish healthcare has undergone a eign-born, long-term unemployed women. healthcare system, our structural change, with a focus on freedom ‘In total 91 participants have taken part entire society risks becoming of choice, demand and entrepreneurial spir- in specially designed health circles in which it. This entails a risk that the public health they received information in their own na- weaker, says Professor perspective—the central point of the tive language on subject such as diet, exer- Ragnar Westerling. Health and Medical Service Act—is over- cise, mental health and how the Swedish looked. Today we see differences increasing healthcare system functions. Our goal has and socially vulnerable groups finding it been to create a method to give each person a clearer structure in their life and the tools to find their way in the healthcare system and to come closer to the employment mar- ket. And our evaluations show that we have It can be difficult for socially been successful’, says Ragnar Westerling. vulnerable groups to find their way in the healthcare system. IN THE SUMMARY for Project Athena, it was noted that four out of five participants found some form of employment market related activity, that half of the participants received reduced income support and that their general health and ability to acquire and use health information had significantly improved. The participants also described in their own words how they had ‘become more conscious of my mental health’, ‘feel much better’, how ‘my children are proud that I have a job’. ‘There has been great interest in the project and the method is currently being distributed nationally via NBV Education- al Association. This gives us every reason to continue to develop our efforts and hopefully to contribute to better utilisa- tion of Swedish healthcare resources’, says Ragnar Westerling. n

10 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Growing interest IN GEOTOURISM

TEXT: ANNELI BJÖRKMAN PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

According to the Geological ‘GEOTOURISM SHOULD BY definition The geoparks directive was established in be sustainable. It’s about trying to empha- the early 2000s by UNESCO with a focus Survey of Sweden, (SGU), sise what’s natural and so protecting areas on conservation, sustainable development there is growing interest from being exploited’, says researcher and and community involvement. In 2013 palaeobiologist Sebastian Willman of the SGU started a network to encourage the among the country’s Department of Earth Sciences. emergence of geoparks in Sweden. municipalities, organisations All around Sweden there are visible trac- ‘The most advanced in the process is es of our diverse geological history, from Siljansringen in Dalarna and the Meteorum and other local initiatives both ice and tropical ages: dramatic land- project about the meteorite impact of 377 in running geotourism and forms, meteorite impacts, oceans, volcanoes million years ago. Nearby there are many and mountain ranges. Some of this is visited, other interesting geological destinations geoparks. Among those who but much of it remains unexplored. But the such as gorges, rapids and waterfalls. There have made the most progress number of local stakeholders who want to are also unique rocks and natural assets in develop tourism initiatives based on geolog- the form of lichen, moss, plants and animal to date is Siljansringen ical sights is increasing, according to SGU. species. These are things you can also in- in Dalarna. clude when you embark upon geotourism.’ IN ADDITION TO contributing to greater geological knowledge, there is also the oppor- SEBASTIAN WILLMAN AND the Depart- tunity of promoting the local tourism indus- ment of Earth Sciences have participated in try and strengthening community identity. an EU funded project; ‘Fostering Geotour- ‘Many other countries have established ism on the Central Baltic Islands. Together larger numbers of geoparks geographical- with colleagues in they produced ly defined areas’, says Sebastian Willman. six books and videos about geologically in- ‘In these areas it is not only the geological teresting places around the Baltic Sea.’ heritage which is highlighted but also local ‘In order to increase the interest in geo- culture and traditions: how crops were and tourism, geologists and those with knowl- are grown, which local building materials edge in the area need to highlight facts and and construction methods were used, which say ‘you have this near you’. Because when trades were primarily carried out by women someone becomes aware of the environ- and so on. The local society and economy ment they understand more readily why it both improve through the sale of local crafts, is important and worth preserving.’ n guided tours, food and accommodation.’

GEOTOURISM AROUND THE BALTIC SEA

Sebastian Willman Books and videos from the project ‘Fostering Geotourism on the wants to highlight facts Central Baltic Islands’ are free and can be downloaded at about geologically www.centralbalticgeotourism.eu interesting areas.

11 THEME: DIVERSITY

Ultimately it’s about our own possibility for survival. If we deplete the environment and destroy the conditions for existence on the planet, everything else is unimportant.

The Earth is currently losing biological diversity at an ever increasing rate, and according to Professor Jacob Höglund it is clear that this is the result of human activity.

12 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Genetic variation IS A NECESSITY

TEXT: LINDA KOFFMAR PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

The Earth is constantly changing. For new species to be like when the dinosaurs died out. After this, the biological diversity has gradually built able to adapt and cope with the changes, there must be up again. Now we’re facing a sixth mass ex- tinction’, says Jacob Höglund. sufficient genetic diversity, or genetic variation, in the The Earth is currently losing biological population. But what type of diversity is required and how diversity at an ever increasing rate, and ac- cording to Jacob Höglund it is clear that this large must the population be to survive? Jacob Höglund is the result of human activity. By studying and his research group are investigating these important mammal fossils, the speed at which species ‘normally’ die out has been established. In issues at the Evolutionary Biology Centre. the 1900s and probably for the 2000s, the average figure for extinctions of species lies WE HAVE KNOWN for some time that different species of birds, amphibians and around 1000 times higher than for back- genetic variation is an absolute necessity in fish. The practical work takes place both ground extinctions. order for species to be able to thrive. Jacob out in the field and in the lab, where new ‘We are probably overestimating biolog- Höglund, professor in animal conservation techniques within gene research give the ical diversity today because many species behaviour, likens genetic diversity to a box field new impetus. are in the process of dying out’, says Jacob of screws in the garage. One of the group’s current studies re- Höglun. ‘If the box only contains one type of lates to investigating whether the dreaded screw, we can only use them for a certain fungal disease Batrachochytrium, which IN SEVERAL PLACES in the world, animal type of job. However, if we have collect- has caused mass mortality of amphibians in populations live isolated from other popu- ed a lot of different screws, we are better other parts of the world, has gained a foot- lations of the same species. They receive no equipped to solve all possible types of prob- hold among Swedish frogs and toads and injection of new fresh genes, but gradually lem we may encounter.’ how sensitive they are to the disease. Are lose genetic variation. The population be- If a species lacks the opportunity to there populations in different parts of the comes increasingly unable to resist environ- adapt itself to new conditions, it will die out. country which are immune? mental changes and other challenges. In all populations, genetic drift occurs Of course one might ask what difference ‘We must begin to apply knowledge and constantly—species gradually lose genetic it makes if a species of frog dies out? Surely calculate figures for the size of populations variation. The drift varies in strength de- we have worse problems to deal with? that are required to retain our animal spe- pending on how large the population is. cies. We want to avoid emergency conser- For example, genetic variation disappears THE ANSWER TO the question will prob- vation—expensive efforts to save species at more quickly in wolves, where there are not ably be different depending on which re- the last minute.’ many individuals, than in herring, where searcher is asked. Someone with another Jacob Höglund says that we must try to there are very many individuals. research interest would perhaps answer dif- understand how we can co-exist with other ferently, but when we ask Jacob Höglund, organisms. Just having people on Earth is GENETIC VARIATION CAN be measured whose research field is evolutionary conser- not sufficient. in a number of different ways. Large parts vation genetics, he says: ‘Ultimately it’s about our own possi- of the genome in different animal species ‘When a species disappears it has no bility for survival. If we deplete the envi- are very similar—others are different. One immediate effect on the ecosystem. For as ronment and destroy the conditions for of the challenges for researchers is identify- long as the Earth has existed, the number of existence on the planet, everything else is ing which genes are important for a species species and the biologically diversity pres- unimportant.’ n to keep up with evolution. ent have gradually increased. But we know Jacob Höglund and his research group that there have been five occurrences of are primarily focusing on MHC genes, mass extinctions. We have associated these which are a type of immune defence gene. with catastrophes caused by major volcanic The animals they have chosen to study are eruptions or collisions with large comets,

13 REPORT The atlas of the body’s proteins involves around 30 people in Uppsala. Cecilia Lindskog Bergström is site manager.

The map of THE BODY’S PROTEINS 14 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Finished after 12 years’ work: a pictorial atlas of the body’s building blocks; proteins. A total of 13 million images have been collected into a searchable database in a collaboration which has involved institutions including KTH Royal and Uppsala University. In the lab at the Rudbeck Laboratory, tissue samples are being tested in search of particular ‘THIS ALMOST COMPLETE list of the but the researchers discovered that there proteins, using antibodies from KTH. body’s proteins is a major research re- are relatively few proteins which are source’, said Mathias Uhlén, professor at unique to a certain tissue. KTH, during the press conference for the ‘This is important knowledge for the Internet launch of the protein atlas. pharmaceutical industry and may explain The atlas is free to use by everyone who some of the problems and side-effects as- wants to know more about the roughly sociated with some pharmaceuticals’, says 20,000 proteins found in the human body. Mathias Uhlén. ‘Eleven years ago, human genes were mapped. This is a continuation of that PROFESSOR FREDRIK PONTÉN of the project. If you imagine the genes as the Department for Immunology, Genetics and design of a house, the proteins are the Pathology in Uppsala has been involved building blocks that the house consists of’, since the start. explains Mathias Uhlén. ‘It’s really great; it’s wonderful to have The mapping process shows that hu- ‘finished’, so to speak. We have worked for man proteins are expressed in all major tis- 12 years and created something which will When the antibodies bind to a particular protein sues and organs—such as the brain, heart, be of great use to many people. It has been it appears in brown. This image shows the protein LIPF in a tissue sample from the stomach. liver and kidneys—and also shows which a fantastic example of team work, with re- proteins are expressed in all cells. searchers from different backgrounds and To carry out the project, researchers at knowledge contributing to ensure that the KTH developed antibodies which can find project has constantly developed in the a particular protein. The next step was to right direction.’ test the antibodies on tissue samples at the Who will use the protein atlas? Department for Immunology, Genetics ‘Above all basic researchers, but also and Pathology in Uppsala. clinical researchers, the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology companies. I THE TEST RESULTS were then scanned hope that it will be used a great deal with- in and collected in a searchable database in medicine, to find both new medicines which is open for anyone to use. On the im- and diagnostic methods.’ ages, the proteins are clearly visible as they And it seems as though more and more have been coloured brown. people are discovering the protein atlas. It is possible to zoom in and examine In addition to the 300 scientific articles the images in detail over the Internet, like which have already been published within The images are reviewed by researchers and the job is done entirely manually. Here, having a microscope in your computer. the project, an average of two articles are Groom Alemayehu reviews an image. You can search for a protein and see where published every day by external users. it occurs, or search by organ. During the mapping process, it was EVEN THOUGH THE protein atlas can be discovered that a number of proteins are considered as finished, the work continues. present in all cells; a kind of bodily clean- Cecilia Lindskog Bergström, site manager ing process. Around half of our proteins in Uppsala, explains: ‘We will look in more are present in all of the body’s cells; these depth at tissues we didn’t examine earlier. are known as ‘basic proteins’. Other pro- Up to now we have looked at 44 different teins most commonly occur in one organ, normal organs, but for example 

15 there are other parts of the brain and retina which we didn’t investigate and there are still proteins which we haven’t found in any of the For each protein, they use tissues studied. We will also carry on with the data from 144 individuals cancer atlas and continue with more detailed re- with normal tissue and 216 search studies.’ individuals with cancer tisssue. Around 30 people are working on the project at Uppsala. The group includes both research en- gineers, researchers, PhD and post-doctoral stu- dents within the fields of biotechnology, biology and medicine. The work is currently under way to complete and publish a large number of articles. ‘Our role in the project is above all linked to the medical and clinical aspects. Medical back- ground knowledge is required to interpret what we see in the microscope’, says Fredrik Pontén.

IN THE LAB at the Rudbeck Laboratory, work is taking place at different stations. First, small pieces of tissue must be punched out of paraffin blocks and then a tissue array of 72 small tissue samples must be manufactured. This is thinly sliced and placed on a glass slide. The samples include both healthy and cancer tissues—from operations carried out at Uppsala University Hospital. When the slide with the tissue samples is ready, it is sprayed with a solution containing antibod- ies. These are ‘coloured’ with antibodies which bind to a particular protein. When the antibody has bound to the protein, it appears brown. This stage is automated and takes place in a large machine. ‘Here we can colour samples with 48 antibodies simultaneously. We colour hundreds of glass slides every day’, explains Cecilia Lindskog Bergström.

THE IMAGES ARE then scanned in and an en- larged version can be reviewed on the computer screen. Several researchers are reviewing images. The job is done entirely manually. They look at the screen and decide whether or not the protein is sufficiently visible on the image. ‘For each protein, we use data from 144 individ- uals with normal tissue and 216 individuals with cancer tissue, so it takes several hours to review. In any case, we’ve now reached the first milestone. After 12 years’ work, we have a clearer picture of human proteins and their role in the body.’ At the press conference, Professor Mathias Uhlén was asked: What will you have achieved ten years from now? ‘We now have the proteome, but that’s only the start of understanding the magic of the hu- man body’, he replied. ‘We will devote many years to this. If you are a researcher, this is a good field to enter for the next 50 years.’

16 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 The birds’ BIG BANG

TEXT: LINDA KOFFMAR PHOTO: MATTON

THE RESEARCH collaboration, the Avian la University, whose research group took 67 million years ago, the Phylogenomics Consortium, has to date in- part in several of the studies. bird family tree began to volved more than 200 researchers from 80 institutions in 20 different countries. Late FROM THERE BEING only three different develop at explosive speed. last year a number of scientific articles on the developmental lines among birds 70 million This has been demonstrated­ research were published, and Science mag- years ago, this explosive branching involved azine named the results as one of the most enormously rapid development of around by a major international important scientific discoveries of 2014. 30 families over a period of only 10 million project to map the genome years, including the appearance of pigeons, ANALYSING such enormous quantity of grebes, loons, cranes, loons, woodpeckers of 48 bird species, which genetic material required huge amounts of and parrots. 95% of all of the 10,000 bird has involved researchers computer capacity and several supercom- species existing today originate in this ex- puter centres in the USA and plosive branching. n from institutions including have been involved. Uppsala University. ‘The most important conclusion from the studies is that when the dinosaurs died out during the transition from the Cretaceous to the Tertiary around 67 million years ago, an explosive branching took place among bird species. A number of natural niches were available as there were no longer any dino- saurs, and in this way many different bird groups developed’, explains Hans Ellegren, Professor of Evolutionary Biology­ at Uppsa-

The genetics behind Wind power at obesity mapped great height

AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM of research- WHEN WIND TURBINES are construct- ers has identified 89 new gene ed in a forest environment, specific con- with links to obesity. Several functions ditions must be taken into consideration. in the central nervous system have been A new thesis by Johan Arnqvist, a PhD shown to play an important role in the in meteorology at Uppsala Univer- development of obesity, and for the me- sity, presents new knowledge about how tabolism of fatty tissue and insulin. All to- turbulence over forested land is affected gether around 340,000 individuals were by vertical stratification. The thesis con- included in the mapping of the connec- tains analyses of new measurements from tion between genes and obesity and body a measurement mast 138 m high located composition. The objective of the study in a forest environment adjacent to an ex- was to identify new genes that increase isting wind turbine. The thesis presents two the risk of obesity and to increase the un- new mathematical models which describe derstanding of the biological mechanisms the turbulence and how the average wind which lead to it. n changes with height. n 17 TEMA: RYMDENIN BRIEF

FOUR QUESTIONS for Karl Michaëlsson whose scientific article about the risks of high milk Increase in the consumption was the 23rd most talked about in the world in 2014. NUMBER OF WARS Consuming milk TEXT: ANNELI WAARA PHOTO: MATTON – a health risk More than ten wars were But 2014 also represented an escalation of conflicts which had previously been at TEXT: MAGNUS ALSNE ongoing during 2014, which a lower intensity; the seven week-long is high for the period since Gaza war was the deadliest confrontation Could you see where this was going the turn of the century. The between Israeli and Palestinian groups in when you saw the results? two decades. In addition to these, long-term ‘Milk affects many people and we consume increase from seven wars in conflicts continue in Afghanistan, Nigeria, it every day, so yes, I understood that it 2013 to today’s total is also Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. would be big, but not so big. I think that the War is defined as an armed conflict in explanation for the impact lies in the fact the largest in fifteen years. which at least 1000 people have died in that milk is traditionally linked to health, fighting during one year. To these can be and then suddenly here comes a study that THESE ARE THE findings of research- added less intensive armed conflicts in points to the complete opposite. Regardless ers from the Department for Peace and which 25-999 people have died. Some of of your previous position on the subject, Conflict Research during a preliminary the less intensive conflicts have involved in- this can be seen as provocative.’ estimation of the conflict situation creased activity in 2014. across the world at the end of 2014. ‘This data should give the internation- How does it feel to see your name and Several of the ongoing wars also al community stronger reasons to strive your work everywhere? have very high death tolls; above all the to ensure that the conflicts in the Middle ‘Well of course it’s enjoyable, even though conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The major East don't escalate further, but instead re- after a while you get a bit tired of having to increase is partly a result of entirely sult in peaceful solutions. The development answer the same questions over and over. new wars, such as that which has arisen in Afghanistan should also be carefully What is less positive is the researchers, au- in eastern Ukraine where the UCDP monitored since NATO's military opera- thority spokespeople and industry repre- distinguishes the two separatist groups tions have ceased’, says project manager sentatives who talk about the study with- from each other. Therése Pettersson. n out having examined the material.’

Has all the debate and time spent on this made you doubt whether to take the results further? Fast Vasaloppet ‘Absolutely not. The dissemination of re- competitors have a search findings is an essential responsibility and nobody wins by keeping their head in lower risk of cancer the sand. I’m counting on starting inter- vention studies within a year to determine A NEW STUDY shows that people taking whether the high levels of galactose from part in the Vasaloppet race exercise more, milk can be connected to increased oxida- have a healthier lifestyle and a 30% lower tive stress and inflammation in people in risk of getting the most common forms of the same way as in animals.’ cancer. The quicker the skiers were, the lower their risk of cancer. The study was Significantly increased risk of death carried out by researchers at Uppsala Clini- and fractures; is it time for us to fill our cal Research Center (UCR) and the Uppsa- glasses with something other than milk? la/Örebro Regional Cancer Centre (RCC). ‘Well, personally I’ve replaced milk with The study was based on almost 200,000 yoghurt, but milk contains many important participants in the Vasaloppet, who were nutrients. You should never make too much compared with normal Swedes of the same of one study—it’s always best to wait for gender, age and home location. The re- more results.' n searchers compared how many developed cancer over a 20-year period. n

18 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 the right treatment can be given from the How do we predict Why do men live start. Professor Dan I Andersson from the for less time? Department of Medical Biochemistry and other people’s actions? Microbiology has led the study, together with Professor Mats Nilsson from the SciLifeLab IN A NEW STUDY, Uppsala researchers Increase in the THE ABILITY TO PREDICT the future in Stockholm. An instrument based on the and international colleagues have shown a method is currently under development by plays a crucial role in our everyday lives and connection between smoking and the loss the company Q-linea in Uppsala. n NUMBER OF WARS in our interactions with other people. For of Y chromosomes from blood cells. The example, this ability helps us to prepare our researchers have previously shown that the TEXT: ANNELI WAARA PHOTO: MATTON actions in time relative to what others are loss of Y chromosomes is linked to cancer. doing. Two new theses from Uppsala Child Because only men have a Y chromosome, and Baby Lab at Uppsala University have the discovery may explain why smoking is investigated the ability of infants to predict a major risk factor for cancer in men, and what other people intend to do. The studies ultimately also why men live on average for show that we use our motor system when less time than women. n predicting how other people will act, but also that the ability is dependent upon the environment in which we live. n Uppsala first with ultrasound treatment Swedish hiphop of uterine fibroids —a social arena

WOMEN WITH PERSISTENT fibroids in POPULAR CULTURE IS an important are- the uterus can now be offered a new, almost na in which social identities are created and pain-free treatment using ultrasound instead cultivated. In a new sociology thesis, Kalle of an operation. Uppsala University Hospi- Berggren shows how social inequality is a tal is the first in Sweden to introduce this central theme within Swedish hiphop. The lower impact treatment, which is initially study shows that this applies to both class provided in the context of a clinical study Remote stars and racism as well as issues such as gender being carried out by researchers at Uppsala captured in an image and sexuality. In his thesis ‘Reading rap’, he University. The new method is called MR-­ analyses song lyrics from around 40 Swed- HIFU, and it entails integrating advanced RED GIANTS in the universe can tell us ish rap artists over two decades, from the ultrasound equipment with an MR camera. about the future of our sun and about how early 1990s onwards. n The aim of this clinical study is to confirm previous star generations spread the basic that the method is safe and functional. n substances of life. Working with researchers from Chalmers, Uppsala researcher Sofia EU grant for Ramstedt has taken an image of one of the mineral studies Initiative for a most well-known red giants—Mira A. It is research-based school part of the Mira binary star system (Mira A RESEARCHERS AT THE Department of and B) which is located around 400 light Earth Sciences have received a grant of 4.5 THE DEBATE ABOUT schools is inten- years from the Earth. The image has be- million kronor from ERA-MIN—a mineral sive and opinions are divided about what come Image of the Week on the website resource oriented section of the European is required for positive development of the of the ESO, the world-leading astronomy ERA-NET research network. Swedish school system. Uppsala Univer- organisation n ‘The project focuses on two major but sity’s educational scientists are now tak- entirely different ore types, which both ing the initiative to develop schools and have the potential to produce rare earth teaching using a digital platform. The focus Quick method to find metals as a biproduct. These earth metals is on research based skills development resistant bacteria are necessary for effective magnets in things for teachers within all levels and subjects. such as wind turbines and electric and hy- The digital platform—Academy of Educa- RESEARCHERS FROM Uppsala Univer- brid cars’, explains Karin Högdahl from the tion (www.acedu.se)—will be constructed sity, SciLifeLab in Stockholm and Uppsala Department of Earth Sciences. gradually in collaboration with the school’s University Hospital have developed a new The study will be carried out in collab- stakeholders, teacher trainers, student method to quickly identify which bacteria oration with industry and is partly financed teachers and educational researchers. n cause an infection and decide whether they by Vinnova and SGU, the Geological Sur- are resistant or sensitive to antibiotics. Then vey of Sweden. n

19 RESEARCHERREPORTAGE PROFILE Mats Leijon’s vision: ENERGY FOR ALL

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

New renewable energy sources from waves, wind and tidal currents. This is Mats Leijon’s speciality. The principle is simple: instead of seeking maximum output, it’s all about getting low cost energy hours. ‘That’s when renewable energy will become an opportunity for everyone.’

NAME: Mats Leijon TITLE: Professor in electrical science. CURRENTLY: Recipient of the Hjärnäpplet award. CAREER: Studied at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, where he also took his PhD in the 1980s. Then he worked at ABB in Västerås until he was appointed professor of electrical science at Uppsala University in 2000. AGE: 57. CURRENTLY READING: Theses. LEISURE PURSUITS: Newly appointed assistant inspector for Gothen- burg student society. Enjoys going to the gym. Gives me energy: It’s great to see things going well for our degree and PhD students, that they get good results and do a great job.

20 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 THE ENTREPRENEUR MATS Leijon is a energy sources as sustainable alternatives well-known personality. He recently re- to fossil energy sources such as oil and coal ceived the Hjärnäpplet, Uppsala Universi- but also nuclear power. Then research is ty’s innovation award, in the university hall. required to solve both technical and more Today he is lecturing at the Ångström Lab- practical problems. Engineering science, oratory to researchers and students making in other words. Mats Leijon’s vision: the move from research to entrepreneurship. The degree and PhD students who The screen shows a selection of imag- come here learn to see the overall issue but es from the years that have passed since also to dig into the detail. he came to Uppsala as a new professor of ‘Here they have to calculate, meas- electrical science in 2000. By then he had ure and construct from the ground up. ENERGY FOR ALL already discovered the wave power which They must have their equations and had the potential to become both a stable processes organised. This is tough work and effective energy source. and there are no shortcuts. We have to The following year he created the com- allow them to make mistakes, then they pany Seabased, which now has 10 employ- learn more.’ ees at the office in Uppsala and 50 at the factory in Lysekil. Wave power stations are WHEN THE WAVE power project became produced here to order, and the company reality, many researchers, PhD and degree recently received a large order from . students travelled to the west coast of Sweden and the experimental facility near THE ROAD HERE has been long and ar- Lysekil. Thorough academic preliminary duous, Mats Leijon explains, before going work was followed by the construction of on to thank his colleagues in the audience: an industrial unit at Lysekil harbour. ‘This isn’t something you can achieve The construction of Sweden’s first on your own; it’s far too complicated. You commercial wave power park is currently really need a good team of colleagues.’ under way near Smögen in collaboration He has plenty of advice to give to research with Fortum. In November, Mats Leijon colleagues who want to start a company. For travelled to Ghana to sign contracts with example, he warns against letting in inves- the energy minister about the construc- tors too early. Another piece of advice is to tion of a wave power park. secure the rights to the idea in good time. ‘It’s an assignment which is both inter- ‘Before starting you ought to have reg- esting and difficult. We have people there istered the patent. Don’t apply for mon- now with a container and everything is be- ey from Vinnova and the EU before you ing assembled on site.’ have patents, because then you’ve got no The vision has always been to produce chance. It’s the patents we registered at the energy which is also sustainable from an start that mean the company will contin- economic perspective. ue to be competitive in the future.’ ‘What we’re looking for is renewable And last but not least: dare to make energy with a high utilisation rate. Solar mistakes! and wind energy both come and go; so ‘There are loads of mistakes to make does wave power, but if you aim as high as along the way. Actually you should make you can then renewable energy becomes a list of everything that can go wrong and possible for everyone. In Sweden we can then tick them off’, he says with a laugh. say that we have the means to subsidise, but in a country like Ghana it is very clear PROFESSOR MATS LEIJON has an office that this isn’t the case.’ full of bookshelves, books and paper. He doesn’t use it very often. His 60% role as HE HOPES THAT more researchers will MD of Seabased takes up a great deal of take on this challenge so that genuine al- his time and he is also involved in several ternatives can be found to nuclear power, companies within tidal current and wind oil and coal. power. At the same time he seems to be ‘In the 1950s and 1960s the best re- happiest here at the university. searchers wanted to work with nuclear Since he founded the department of power; that was the very peak of excel- electrical science in 2000, the department lence within physics, technology and has produced more than 200 scientific arti- chemistry. For renewable energy sources cles, 64 theses and a large number of patents. to be competitive, the peak of excellence The challenge is to find new renewable must be in this field. 

21  As a visionary, Mats Leijon sees that this Mats Leijon by the river Dalälven could be Sweden’s next big industrial suc- where a marine current turbine cess. But it would require the same kind of was installed in 2013 by Uppsala political investment seen in other countries. University scientists. ‘We have water power, which is an ex- tremely important source and we can take this approach as a starting point. We saw that there was no technical solution for ei- ther wave or tidal current power, so that’s why we became involved. We could see that wind power could be done more cheaply.’ Which do you believe most in for the future—wave, tidal current or wind power? ‘We probably need a combination, but that’s not really saying anything very useful. Whatever gives the most energy hours for the least money is the thing you can earn most from and which makes the electrici- ty the most cheaply. Ultimately we simply want renewable energy for the cheapest possible price. Then we can spend money on better child and elderly care instead of subsidising electricity.’

HE DOESN’T SIMPLY describe a success story when he lectures at the Ångström Laboratory. Making the move from re- searcher to entrepreneur hasn’t been pain- less, and Mats Leijon doesn’t try to conceal it. It has cost a great deal, both professional- ly and in his private life. ‘People often ask why research isn’t more often commercialised. The answer is that it’s terribly risky and requires enor- mous inputs from family and friends. There should be greater incentives for researchers to run companies.’ ‘If I had known in 2001 what it would entail I’d probably have still been a normal professor today. Living a more peaceful life with essays to correct and students to su- pervise.’ But then what would he have done with the strong motivation that he still have even today? The conviction that it must be possible to do something, even if everyone around says the opposite. ‘That was why I started with this. I was convinced that it could be done differently if we simply thought it through properly.’ n

22 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 IN BRIEF

Doreen Stabinsky, visiting professor in climate change leadership. Top researchers recruited TO UPPSALA

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH CLIMATE RESEARCHER DOREEN Stab- PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT insky will be the first visiting professor in cli- mate change leadership at Uppsala Univer- The Zennström Visiting sity, a professorship which is being financed through an earlier donation by IT entrepre- Professorship in Climate neur Niklas Zennström. She is a professor of Change has been conferred global environmental politics at the of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The first image on outstanding climate The ten-year visiting professorship, in researcher Doreen which a new professor is invited every one of living bacteria Stabinsky. Within the or two years, is linked to the Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), which AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM led by re- humanities, renowned is part of the Department of Earth Sciences. searchers at Uppsala University has for the Don Kulick, professor of anthropology first time succeeded in taking images of living anthropologist Don Kulick at the University of Chicago, will be coming bacteria with an X-ray laser. The technique has been recruited with to Uppsala to lead a broad interdisciplinary involves shooting a fine aerosol of cells with research programme involving both hu- light pulses from an X-ray laser The new funding from the Swedish manities scholars and social scientists. They method provides a better resolution in terms Research Council. will examine how we can better under- of both time and space than the best optical stand exposure and vulnerability in relation microscope techniques. Up to now, high-res- to people, animals and the environment. olution depiction has involved freezing cells The research programme ‘New Perspec- and giving them a high radiation dose that tives on Vulnerability’ is linked to ongoing kills them during the data collection. research project at the Department of Cul- ‘If you really want to understand a cell’s tural Anthropology and Ethnology. Funding functions, it must be living’, says Uppsala Read Doreen Stabinsky’s from the Research Council will be available University’s professor Janos Hadju, one of column on the last page. for ten years. n the leading researchers in the attempt. n

SOLAR ENERGY IS available in large is required to facilitate the process. In a new New steps towards quantities. In an hour, the Earth receives as study, researchers at Uppsala University much solar energy as humans use in a year. have demonstrated a reaction in which the the solar fuel To meet our energy needs even when the catalyst molecules take two reaction steps of the future sun isn’t shining strongly, it must be possi- at a time on their way towards a fuel. This ble to store solar energy. One method can means that more energy consuming and be to transform the solar energy directly to slow intermediate steps can be avoided. a fuel from simple ingredients such as water ‘This is a step towards future production and carbon dioxide. In order to manufac- of solar fuel’, says Leif Hammarström, pro- ture the fuel in an effective and energy-­ fessor of physical chemistry. n efficient manner, a good chemical catalyst

23 Struggling to let go of your mobile at bedtime? You’re not alone.

The battle for THE BEDROOM TEXT: MAGNUS ALSNE PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

More and more of us are wishing each I THE NUMBER of mobile-free zones is shrink- ing rapidly in these days of constant connection. other goodnight by mobile phone. In the UK, more than one in two people claim to have nomophobia—a fear of not being accessible Unfortunately this means that we are on their mobile telephone—and our rapidly accel- erating technology use means that all of the hours sleeping increasingly badly. Now sleep in the day are no longer enough. Many people are now continuing their surfing in bed; something researchers in Uppsala are creating which is already producing noticeable results. ‘Our deteriorating sleep habits are taking on an app to make us disconnect when almost epidemiological dimensions. We cur- it’s time to unwind. rently sleep on average an hour less per day than people did 20 years ago. In a study of teenagers in Uppsala county, almost one in three state that they have regular sleep problems. We know that lack of sleep leads to a number of risks, and it is clear that something must be done’, says Chris- tian Benedict, a sleep researcher at Uppsala Uni- versity’s Department of Neuroscience.

24 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Joint search for SUPPORT FOR BETTER SLEEP NEW ANTIBIOTICS Christian Benedict is developing a new app to TEXT: ANNELI WAARA support those who want to improve their sleeping habits. It is expected to be ready in 2015/2016. He The WHO has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the is also researching bio-markers which can identify those people who run the greatest risk as a result of three biggest threats to human health. Without new antibi- lack of sleep. otics, we risk returning to a situation in which every infection is life-threatening. The combined expertise of Europe is now aimed at stimulating development within an area that has long been seen as unprofitable for the pharmaceutical industry. RESEARCH AT UPPSALA University shows how mobile telephones, tablets and computers ‘TO SUCCEED WE need to find business models and reward mechanisms emit a blue light on a frequency similar to day- which benefit companies that develop medications without selling them, light, and that evening use reduces our produc- because resistance development must be avoided. This has been discussed, tion of the sleep hormone melatonin. It remains but nobody has tested any concrete proposals and there is a lack of re- for science to map exactly how this affects our search’, says Francesco Ciabuschi, professor in the Department of Business sleep, but already the fact that 29% of Swedes Studies, who is leading Uppsala University's participation in a major EU take their mobile phones into the bedroom with project within the field. them—many young people sleep with theirs un- der the pillow—suggests that without much con- EVERY YEAR AROUND 25,000 people in Europe die from infections sideration we are exposing ourselves to a number caused by multi-resistant bacteria. The annual cost is estimated at 1.5 bil- of serious dangers. lion euros, but the actual economic and social costs are unknown. Despite ‘New results show how even a single night increased resistance and distribution, only two new classes of antibiotics with a lack of sleep can start serious physical have come onto the market in the last 30 years. The investment required is reactions. Among other things, the body’s basal simply not expected to pay for itself. energy consumption reduces and we begin to The EU has drawn the conclusion that only a large scale collaboration store extra energy. Longer periods of sleepless- between global actors can resolve this crisis situation. 9.4 million euros have ness can affect the barrier that protects the brain therefore been invested in a partnership project in which experts from ac- from hazardous substances, we risk losing nerve ademia, authorities and business will create and test new economic models cells and in the long term increasing the risk of in order to stimulate investment. They will also define a standard for re- being affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Overall, sponsible use of the small remaining number of effective antibiotics, and for this confirms the importance of regular sleep the new ones which it is hoped to develop. habits for keeping body and brain healthy’, says Christian Benedict. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY GROUP is participating from Uppsala Univer- sity, including researchers in business economics, global health, IT and me- LOST SLEEP ALSO negatively affects our ability dia, economic history, law, educational science, medicine and engineering to perform. With financial support from AFA science. The emphasis lies on developing economic models, policies and an Försäkring, Christian Benedict is now creating implementation plan. an app to make us disconnect when it’s time to ‘Involving business and organisations in an antibiotic resistance project unwind. In the initial phase, working adults are is unique, but I see it as entirely necessary to achieve results. We need to the target group, but the ambition is to ultimate- understand the effects on all levels and to think in new ways. We have re- ly also provide support to children and young ceived a great deal of interest from the business world; many actors want to people; the group that now most uses screen- be involved’, says Francesco Ciabuschi. n based technology, and in all probability the most emotionally affected. ‘I want to help people to increase their knowl- THE PROJECT DRIVE-AB edge about the times of the day when they should avoid using their appliances. An app provides – Is one of 46 European IMI projects within life sciences, with a budget of fantastic opportunities to provide large numbers 3.3 billion euros for 2012-2024. The project is a joint undertaking between of people with personally designed support at the EU and the industry organisation EFPIA. the same time that the research can collect an- – Has 24 partners from academia, research institutes and pharmaceutical onymised data about sleep habits and well-being, and biotechnology companies in 12 countries. which can ultimately help us all to sleep, feel and www.drive-ab.eu perform better’, says Christian Benedict. n

25 The Polish tall ship STS Both lecturers and Fryderyk Chopin is students are expected crewed by students and to help out aboard ship. teaching staff.

225 AND

SAIL stands for Sustainability Applied in International Learning. The Baltic University Programme (BUP) is a network of 225 colleges The subject and universities around the Baltic Sea. The network is coordinated by a is sustainable secretariat at the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) at Uppsala development in the University. BUP focuses on issues relating to sustainable development, the Baltic Sea, but the environment and democracy in the . students learn a lot about cooperation Read more here: www.balticuniv.uu.se as well.

26 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Wind in the sails of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: BALTIC UNIVERSITY PROGRAMME

During a two-week THIS YEAR’S COURSE starts in Åalborg, Den- sustainable development since the 1970s and is mark on 4 August. Two weeks later the students known for his film ‘Last Call’, about the limits sailing trip on the will step off in Świnoujście in Poland with 7.5 to growth. Baltic Sea, there’s a credits and a sailing certificate. This is a foundation course that can be taken by ‘This is a unique and different learning envi- students from different disciplines, but they usu- lot of time to learn ronment, a challenge for both lecturers and stu- ally share a common interest in the environment. about sustainable dents’, says Lars Österlund, professor of Solid ‘Many students have been involved in the cli- development and State Physics at the Department of Engineering mate debate and feel that they want to do some- Sciences and the person responsible for the con- thing. We show them what are sometimes shock- make international tent of this year’s SAIL course. ing facts but also point out what can be done’, contacts. And that’s ‘We will have five hours of instruction a day says Lars Österlund. and in addition to that some extremely practical the idea behind the group work. Unique to this course is that there NO PREVIOUS SAILING experience is required, SAIL summer course, are strict rules on board that the students actually but both lecturers and students are expected to which takes place obey’, he says with a laugh. help out aboard ship. If it is stormy, of course, The course is offered as part of the Baltic Uni- more work is involved than if the sea is calm. It’s aboard a sailing ship. versity Programme and is organised by Uppsala difficult to know in advance which harbours will University. Every year many applications are re- be visited during the course. The only thing that ceived, from which 40 students are selected. is certain is that the journey begins in Åalborg in ‘We strive to take students from as many dif- and ends in Świnoujście in Poland. ferent countries as possible in order to highlight Dominika Stygar from Poland has been on the sustainable development from an international course for the last ten years. She started out as a perspective, but just now there are unfortunately student and now she is shipboard coordinator and a preponderance of students from Uppsala Uni- the crew’s contact person. versity. We will try to change that’, says project ‘After all these years I know that there are no manager Maria Hejna. problems we can’t solve. The key is to get every- one on board to talk to each other, collaborate on THE LECTURERS ON the course come from board and rely on each other.’ the different member countries of the Baltic Marja Hejna has also been on the trip many University Programme and from a variety of times and actually started the course 18 years ago. disciplines and backgrounds. The content of the She particularly remembers one occasion when it course varies, but the actual foundation is sustain- was very stormy: able development­ in the Baltic Sea and meetings ‘In the summer of 2009, we had two full across cultural boundaries. weeks of storms. It was really tough going, but it Last year the voyage took place between has left me with a lifelong memory. Even though Gdansk and Szczecin via Stockholm. It included I get seasick, I usually wish for a small storm be- lessons in marine biology, solar energy, environ- cause then you learn respect for the see and see mental engineering, urban planning, economics the forces of nature at work. It’s fascinating; you and social studies. This year, one of the lecturers is make friends for life.’ n Professor Dennis Meadows who has worked with

27 INNOVATION

The pregnancy test that CHANGED EVERYTHING

TEXT: KIM BERGSTRÖM ILLUSTRATION: TORBJÖRN GOZZI PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

Leif Wide’s THE BJÖRKÉN PRIZE is Uppsala University’s The reason is that a fertilised egg doesn’t al- foremost scientific award. This year’s prize was ways lead to a full-term pregnancy. The body re- immunological awarded to Leif Wide, emeritus professor in the jects fertilised eggs which have been implanted pregnancy test was Department of Medical Sciences. but which for various reasons are not viable. Leif Wide’s discoveries include hyper-sensitive ‘A positive test six days after a missed period revolutionary. It so-called sandwich tests and he was also involved gives an 84% chance that the woman will give was fast, reliable in the discovery of immunoglobulin E. The com- birth to a live child. A positive test six days before pany Pharmacia Diagnostics was based on Leif the period only gives a 45% chance.’ and simple to carry Wide’s discoveries and is still a leader within the But there are many circumstances which out. It was followed area of allergy tests, now under the name of Ther- make earlier tests a valuable tool. mo Fisher Scientific. ‘It can be because the woman is about to un- by a number of But Leif Wide is also known for having devel- dergo an X-ray investigation, cytostatic treatment innovations which oped the first non-biological pregnancy test, from or receive other medicines. Then it’s essential to which allergy tests gradually grew. He developed the know if there could be a pregnancy which could led to a very test during his time as a medical student. The test be jeopardised.’ successful company represented a paradigm shift within gynaecology. LEIF WIDE’S TEST gave a result within a few in Uppsala. THERE IS PROBABLY no other diagnostic issue hours, had a reliability of 99.8% from a week after which has been of so much interest to humanity a missed period and was easy to administer. as that of pregnancy. Folklore had it that the an- ‘There was a great deal of interest from the cient Egyptians had such a test. It involved water- smaller actors’, says Leif Wide. ‘The test meant ing wheat grains with the woman’s urine. If the that private gynaecologists and ante-natal units woman was pregnant, the wheat grains sprouted could provide a rapid diagnosis in their clinics. more quickly than normal. When researchers in Women could also carry out the pregnancy tests the 1930s investigated the method, it turned out in their own homes.’ to have a reliability of 75-85%! In hospitals, the test made it possible for the Since that time, many methods have been sug- first time to measure the amount of pregnancy gested and used. A monograph from 1948 listed hormone in the urine and to diagnose, for exam- 200 different tests. Some involved provoking ple, possible miscarriages and tumours which in- morning sickness in women, others injecting urine crease levels of the hormone. n from women into animals, dissecting the animals and studying the changes in the animals’ ovaries. The test meant that LEIF WIDE’S IMMUNOLOGICAL pregnancy test gave an accurate answer from a week after a private gynaecologists missed period. He demonstrated a few years later and ante-natal units could that with a more sensitive test it would be possi- Now a pregnancy test can give provide a rapid diagnosis. ble to get the answer as early as six days before a an accurate answer as early as six days before a missed period. missed period. Tests that arrived on the market Leif Wide’s test was an impor- later confirm this. It can seem fantastic, but in fact tant step on the way. it’s actually rather problematic.

28 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 THE BJÖRKÉN PRIZE

The prize of SEK 300,000 is awarded by Uppsala University to outstanding research- ers within the theoretical branches of science and medicine. The award text reads: ‘Leif Wide receives the prize for his many The pregnancy test that pioneering discoveries, including world-leading methods within allergy diagnosis and modern pregnancy testing. Leif Wide’s research has led to enormous breakthroughs, both within CHANGED EVERYTHING healthcare and in society as a whole.’

LEIF WIDE’S DISCOVERIES

• The first non-biological pregnancy test, which measured the hormone directly in the urine using hCG antibodies. • The discovery, together with his colleagues Gunnar Johansson and Hans Bennich, of 1930 1950 1970 1990 immunoglobulin E, which has great signifi- 1910 cance for our immune system, • The development of hyper-sensitive allergy tests, so-called sandwich tests, for immune detection, which became decisive in the commercialisation of the discovery. • Techniques for discovering protein hetero- geneity, which have been used in areas such as tracing doping with protein-based drugs.

1930s: Pregnancy determined through methods such as injecting urine from women into various lab- oratory animals. The principle was that the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine affected the laboratory animals in different ways.

1960s: The first non-biological pregnancy test, which measured the hormone directly in the urine using hCG antibodies. Pregnancy could be demon- strated after 60-90 minutes with 99.8% certainty a week after a missed period. As early as 1961 the method was introduced into routine healthcare at Uppsala University Hospital.

1980s: More sensitive immunological pregnancy tests were introduced and in the 1980s and 1990s the global market for reagent kits grew extremely quickly, becoming a major industry.

SOURCE: Kemivärlden Biotech med Kemisk tidsskrift

29 IN BRIEF Closer collaboration WITH COMPANY

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

The Siegbahnsalen was packed WHAT DOES THE AGREEMENT MEAN FOR UPPSALA UNIVERSITY? when the company ABB visited Johan Tysk, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Tech- the Ångstrom Laboratory in nology and Science: ‘It’s very exciting. This is a reinforce- February. The audience con- ment of both education and research. We tained many students, but also can expand the collaboration, for example within materials science, IT and electrical researchers who were curious engineering, and obtain reinforcement on about the new collaboration the technology side. It is good that the collaboration has ‘We have had a solid, long collabora- agreement between Uppsala been formalised so that we meet regularly tion. Now we want to formalise it’, to discuss things. We can learn a great deal said ABB’s CEO Johan Söderström. University and ABB which was from this’. signed on the same day. Lars-Eric Larsson, Deputy Enterprise Manag- IT'S FANTASTIC TO be here, and I'm not just say- er at UU Innovation: ing that because I have an honorary doctorate from ‘The research collaboration with ABB is Uppsala University, but because I come from ABB. of long standing. On the project level we We love Uppsala University’, said Johan Söder- have collaborations in 20-30 research pro- ström, to the day's first big round of applause. jects. The agreement means that we bring It was a cheerful CEO who talked to the stu- everything together in an activity plan, with dents about what it means to work at ABB. The in- a manager on both sides. The activity plan ternational environment and commitment to sus- will be evaluated on an annual basis in a tainability were emphasised in his presentation. joint meeting of the management groups. Åsa Jackson, ABB's Personnel Manager, de- This type of partnership is a way of con- scribed how attractive it is as an employer: structing strategic collaboration. It makes it ‘We came second after Google in a survey ABB’s CEO Johan Söderström and possible, for example, to exploit resources among students and professional civil engineers. Vice-Chancellor Eva Åkesson on a together in a better way and to start more The reason is that we are keen to open up ABB as a tour of the Ångström Laboratory. joint projects.’ n company for the employees of the future. We invest in summer jobs and thesis placements to show the different opportunities we offer for civil engineers.’ 2015 ACTIVITIES AN IMPORTANT PART of the agreement with Uppsala University is the formalisation of the The activity plan for 2015 includes: collaboration regarding thesis work and summer • Student activities such as thesis work, jobs. But research collaborations are also covered summer placements and study visits for by the agreement. students. ‘We have had a solid, long collaboration. Now • An AIMDay at ABB in May, with the we want to formalise it and offer even more thesis theme ‘Power 2030’ placements, summer jobs and adjunct professors. • Research activities as a strategy for We also want to collaborate more in laboratory en- post-doctoral students at ABB, mobility vironments and in teaching’, says Johan Söderström. for personnel at ABB and Uppsala Uni- versity and new PhD projects within the Vice-Chancellor Eva Åkesson and Collaborations within power, robotics, IT and energy area. ABB’s Johan Söderström sign the energy efficiency are already in place, but the collaboration agreement. agreement plans for more research collaboration.

30 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 The aim of the EIT Raw Materials consortium is to reinforce innovation by introducing new solutions for the sustainable exploitation, recycling and development of new materials.

EU investment in health and SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

TEXT: ANNELI WAARA/MAGNUS ALSNE PHOTO: MATTON

TWO EUROPEAN CONSORTIUMS were integrate education, innovation and re- Uppsala University hit the selected for prioritised EU projects at the search within strategic areas. The project jackpot when the European end of last year. EIT Health, innovations will involve the university and companies in healthy living and active ageing, and collaborating with public organisations to Institute for Innovation and EIT Raw Materials, innovations for new stimulate innovation. Technoloy (EIT) chose which solutions relating to sustainable materials. ‘We will spend a great deal of energy The investments will continue for at least on transforming research into benefit’, says consortiums would receive two seven years and includes a large number of Mats Larhed. new major investments, this partners in several countries. Uppsala Uni- The work to construct an organisation versity plays a central role in both projects. for the two projects has just begun at the time within health and sus- ‘This is a major success’, stated profes- university. tainable materials use. sors Mats Larhed, Håkan Engqvist and Ro- ‘We will only see the results in the long land Roberts, who coordinated the univer- term, but we know that the synergy effects sity’s part ofr the application process. and future gains are enormous,’ Mats Lar- The project is being run with the sup- hed concludes. n port of EIT, an EU body which works to

Uppsala University Training programmes: 130 Doctor’s degree: 326 continues to grow Freestanding courses: 2,100 Teachers (annual employees): 1,534—of Students: 45,354—corresponding to which 41% women THE UNIVERSITY HAS continued to 24,730 full year students (an increase of 850 Teachers with PhDs (annual employees): grow during 2014. The average number of since 2013) 1,029—of which 37% women employees increased by 335 people. The Qualifications: 5401—of which 44% at Professors (annual employees): 559—of number of employees is now nearly 7,000. advanced level which 25% women International Master’s programmes: 44 Referee reviewed scientific publications: Over the last three years, turnover has in- International student exchange: 4,639 creased by approximately one billion kro- agreements with almost 400 universities in Research financed with external funding: nor and is now 6.3 billion kronor. Applica- around 50 countries, approximately 1,600 53% tions for courses are still very high. Uppsala incoming and 1,000 outgoing students. University has the most applicants of all Number of fee payers: 428—corresponding Swedish educational institutions. Uppsala to 248 full year students University was also the largest recipient of PhD students: 2,522 grants from the Research Council in this year’s major call for proposals. n

31 A Google for HANDWRITING

TEXT: JOSEFIN SVENSSON PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

To be able to UPPSALA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY has recent- which is creating something of a race among re- ly launched a digital platform—Alvin—where searchers worldwide. use computers to digitised works from cultural heritage collections ‘You want to be the first to find a program that analyse and search are now being collected into a single database. works. If someone today had an algorithm to car- With just a few clicks it will be possible to search ry out large-scale digital searches of things like the handwritten texts collections, opening up new possibilities for re- collection of manuscripts in the Vatican Library, would revolutionise searchers and other interested . it would be worth a fortune. Whilst the market ‘The works are searchable, for example via value is enormous, so is the scale of the task’, says research in Google, which means you can go back over histor- Anders Brun, project manager at the Department the humanities. ical materials and find new angles. The texts don’t of Information Technology. need to be consulted on site either, which pro- Now researchers are vides greater accessibility’, says Per Cullhed, de- IN THE INTERDISCIPLINARY research project trying to develop velopment strategist at Uppsala University library. ‘From Quill to Bytes’, Anders Brun and his col- leagues are trying to develop a method that makes a method to make WHEN THE UNIVERSITY library digitises print- it possible to analyse and search large amounts of this possible. ed books from heritage collections, it uses software handwritten texts. The project involves basic re- that converts the pages to digital text, known search, which in the longer term should result in as Optical Character Recognition (OCR). The finished software. software interprets the printed information and ‘We usually call it a Google for handwriting; a makes it searchable. With handwriting, HTR tech- way of quickly finding what you are looking for nology—handwritten text recognition—is used even though the amount of information is enor- instead. It is the development of this technology mous’, he says.

Magnus Hjalmarsson, photographer at the university library, scans a book with the help of a specially designed robot intended for digitising books.

32 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 Per Cullhed, Head of the Conservation Unit at Uppsala University library.

The project started in January 2013 and will run for about five years. Financing consists mainly of a framework grant from the Research Council of 13.7 million SEK. Frederick Wahlberg, PhD student at the De- partment of Information Technology, is currently working on medieval manuscripts in Old Swed- ish in collaboration with Mats Dahllöf, researcher in linguistics and philology, and Lars Mårtensson, associate professor at the Department of Scandi- navian Languages. Later in the project, they will be looking at the more recent Waller Collection, which is in the university library. ‘The texts are very difficult to read and it is imperative to collaborate across disciplinary A page from the Codex Upsaliensis manuscript. The manuscript contains St. boundaries if we are to succeed in this’, says Fre- Bridget’s revelations in Old Swedish. This is the opening page of book five, drik Wahlberg. known as the ‘Book of the questions’ (liber questionum).

THE CORE OF the work is all about text decod- ing, achieving a method via which the computer tries to interpret the digital image of the text. The researchers are trying to avoid text interpretation because handwritten text can look very different depending on who was holding the pen. Instead, they want to teach the computer to interpret the material. ‘Using expert knowledge, we try to give the computer the right answer for a small portion of the material and then automate this’, says Fredrik Wahlberg. The experts’ knowledge of what is interesting and how various writers differ help them move forward in their work. ‘The computer can help us, but it can’t solve An example of the identification of lines of text in the manuscript Codex all our problems. There still needs to be expert Upsaliensis, where each row is automatically marked with a different colour knowledge in order to interpret the material and using a computer program. In older texts the process is often complicated by make corrections’, says Anders Brun. overlapping or crooked lines. However, for researchers in the humanities, the opportunity to make manuscripts searchable on a large scale would revolutionise their work and create all kinds of new possibilities. ‘This kind of software is a bit of a Holy Grail for researchers who want to break new digital ground in areas such as history, religious studies and linguistics. It would mean so much to re- search’, says Anders Brun. n

33 The history of Russia BECOMES CLEARER

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

How much do we 25 YEARS HAVE elapsed since the fall of the had an unusually great influence over the devel- wall, when the was transformed opment of the country. This applies to the Tzar actually know about into 15 separate countries. This was one of the and the communist leaders, but also to the cur- our neighbours in turning points in the eventful history of Russia. rent president Vladimir Putin. This has also influ- In 150 years, the country has undergone two ma- enced the way that history is written. the east? Following jor regime changes, from Tsarist empire to com- ‘The political terror under Lenin and Stalin is the opening of munism and finally to democracy. still an open wound, unlike in Germany where ‘These changes have often taken place quite the population has come to terms with Nazism. archives in Russia rapidly and been difficult to predict’, says Martin There is conflict in the writing of Russian history; and the former Kragh. it has been politicised and controlled from above He is a researcher at the Centre for Russian in a way that we are not used to.’ Soviet Union, it has and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University and But Martin Kragh doesn’t feel that this has become possible the Institute for Economic and Business History made his work with the book more difficult. Research at Stockholm School of Economics. Re- ‘I rely a great deal on Russian research. There is to obtain a more cently, he published his book ‘Rysslands historia. an active research field with extensive fact-based detailed image. Från Alexander II till Vladimir Putin’ (The history archive research. Economic history is my starting of Russia: From Alexander II to Vladimir Putin). point and I ask the same questions of the Russian One characteristic of Russia, according to material as of British material. If we isolate Rus- Martin Kragh, is that the country’s leaders have sian history, we overemphasise the differences. Instead I try to draw parallels to other countries’ histories and find similarities.’

HE ALSO WRITES about the links between Swe- den and Russia, for example in the early 1900s when 150 Swedish companies such as LM Erics- son and SKF were located in Russia. ‘Russia hasn’t been so isolated as many people believe, but has been engaged in trade, cultural exchanges and also obviously conflicts with the world around it. It is important to remind our- selves of that in the current situation of increased tension in Europe.’ n

FOR HISTORY LOVERS

The book ‘Rysslands historia. Från Alexander II till Vladimir Putin’ (The history of Russia: From Alexander II to Vladimir Putin) (Dialogos förlag, 2014) is aimed at the history loving general One more book enters the reader. It is an overview of Russia’s economic library shelves in the Centre and political history from the second half of for Russian and Eurasian the 1800s to today. Studies; Martin Kragh’s account of Russian history.

34 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 The secret BEHIND SHOES

TEXT: JOSEFIN SVENSSON PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT

‘IT WAS A good evening, with a lot of lively con- ‘The researchers’ thinking has led our work. In The exhibition versations. And then one of the participants de- the installations, we have tried to describe their ‘Shoe Stories’ is scribed her office, which she had filled with shoes. views’, says Ingrid Zakrisson, exhibition producer And then things got even noisier. Everyone had and designer at Upplandsmuseet. currently being pre- something to say about shoes. Shoes are obvious- In the second part of the exhibition, the mu- sented at Upplands- ly an interesting subject, but why? We decided to seum displays some of the 293 pairs of shoes in write a book about shoes on the basis of our indi- its collections. museet in Uppsala. vidual research areas’, says Carin Eriksson Lind- ‘This is not a fashion-based overview, but is The starting point vall, director of the Leadership and Organisation- more an examination of the history behind the al Development Office at Uppsala University. shoes’, explains Ingrid Zakrisson. for the exhibition The texts were written with a twinkle in the The exhibition runs until 22 September. n was a collection of eye and discuss everything from Cinderella’s glass essays written by slipper to the mechanical complexity of the foot. 17 researchers at Uppsala Univer- sity. The idea for the book ‘Shoes—a love story’ (Skor— en huvudsak) was hatched during the closing dinner on a course for fe- male managers.

Many kind of shoes are exhibited at Upplandsmuseet.

35 ALUMNUS PROFILE

Title: Archbishop, since June 2014. Age: 59 Family: Married, with children and grandchildren Education: Studied theology in Tübingen and at Uppsala University and was ordained as a priest in 1980. DTh from 1999. Leisure pursuits: I enjoy reading things I don’t have to read! I love going for long walks. Last book read: Araben, by Pooneh Rohi, about a student at a Swedish university who is the daughter of an Iranian man. It shows from the inside how much damage can be caused when dreams are dashed and how rootlessness makes it difficult to build long-term relationships with another person. Hidden talent: That question quickly becomes im- possible to answer. I usually say that I played the trum- pet in my youth, but then it’s not hidden any longer! Favourite place in Uppsala: I think I will discover more favourite places, but something which I really enjoy at the moment is the flat I live in. I love the view towards the university park and the main university building. Favourite student : Upland nation. What makes you happy: My grandchildren. What makes you angry: The Law of Jante; it destroys so much creativity.

36 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 A Christian voice in THE PUBLIC DEBATE

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: MAGNUS ARONSON

Antje Jackelén is EVERY SATURDAY EVENING at 18.00, and ly three years. Her decision to become a priest arose every Sunday morning at 9.00, Antje Jackelén gradually and in January 1980 she was ordained. back in Uppsala, sends out a ‘#söndagsord’ (literally, Sunday word) There then followed an eventful career devoted which she visited as to her 10,698 followers on Twitter. to her work as a priest, to research, overseas visits ‘On Sunday I wrote: ‘Every hate crime is an and most recently to the role of bishop of Lund, a guest student from attack on humanity. Every compassionate action which she occupied for seven years. Germany in the late heals the world’ and people clearly liked that, be- cause I got an unusual number of responses’, says A DECISIVE PERIOD, and one she looks back on 1970s. As a newly Antje Jackelén. with pleasure, was her years in Chicago as a teacher appointed archbish- She gives an open and curious impression as of systematic theology at the Lutheran School she sits on a sofa in the Central church office in of Theology. op, she is happy to Uppsala. At the same time she is thoughtful and ‘My time in the USA was amazingly stimulat- take part in public careful in how she formulates her words. Perhaps ing and I am very thankful for those years. I have that’s why she likes Twitter? said many times that without that period I proba- debate, for example ‘If we’re going to say something in only 140 bly wouldn’t have dared to agree to stand for elec- on Twitter. characters it’s likely to be a little terse. But I enjoy tion as a bishop.’ really working on the words. It’s a bit of a game.’ She explains this by the fact that it was an intel- ‘It’s a challenge to As archbishop, she meets many people at meet- lectually and socially stimulating environment, but say something sig- ings of various types and during morning mass at also one that reinforced her self-confidence. the Cathedral on Wednesdays, which she leads ‘It was absolutely the opposite to the Law of nificant and per- every week—if she isn’t travelling. Jante’s ‘You’re not to think you are anything spe- haps even beautiful When we meet, she has recently returned home cial’. I remember that I was so touched when I had from a trip in Europe, first to Germany and a meet- only recently arrived in Chicago and had succeed- in 140 characters.’ ing with the Lutheran World Federation. Then on ed in publishing an article in a good journal, and to Estonia, for the ordination of an archbishop. one colleague after another came and said: ‘Well done; congratulations! That’s wonderful for all of THE FIXED POINT is Uppsala, where the arch- us.’ It was important, and I believe is important for bishop’s residence is a stone’s throw from the everyone, to get the right type of encouragement.’ Cathedral and the church secretariat. A new yet well-known environment for Antje Jackelén. She AS THE ARCHBISHOP, she is the representative was a guest student in Uppsala in the late 1970s. of the Swedish church not only nationally but also Now she is back again as the archbishop, and lives internationally. She has several times mentioned right next to the university’s main building. how important it is for the church to occupy a po- ‘I haven’t managed to relearn the city yet. I sition in society. came here in August and since then I’ve been very ‘We should be a church in the world; we have busy with the job.’, she says. a mission to talk about Jesus in word and deed. For She has strong memories from the first summer example this includes standing up against injustice in Uppsala in 1977, when she could scarcely speak and when human dignity is threatened.’ any Swedish at all. Sometimes the church has the answer to ques- ‘The first thing that happened was that I took tions, but it’s often a case of asking questions that part in the Uppsala International Summer Session nobody else may be asking. for four weeks. It was a really good language course, ‘We ask questions about a long-term view but you could also do courses in parallel. I remember which are perhaps not natural for companies, who that I took one in archaeology, and I learned to read are oriented around quarterly reports, or politi- runestones in the university park. That was great.’ cians, who are oriented around mandate periods. When she arrived in Uppsala, she had studied We have an infinite perspective and in this way we theology in the German town of Tübingen for near- can be an important voice.’

37 4 QUESTIONS A fascination with MAYAN CULTURE

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: OSKAR VALLINDER

Helmer Broberg is deputy director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and author of the book ‘Expedition Maya’ on the traces of the Mayan culture in Guatemala’s jungles. He was inspired to write the book while studying at Uppsala University.

How did it come about that you trav- Today you work as the deputy director elled to Guatemala to rescue the re- of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’. Have mains of the ancient Mayan culture? you been able to use your history stud- ‘I took a course on Latin American his- ies in this role? tory in 1992 and a small part of that was ‘Yes, history provides a key to understand- on pre-Colonial cultures. That caught ing a country or a region, and enhances a my interest. Not long after that I was in visit. If you know more about what has Mexico on a placement with the Swedish happened in a certain place, it becomes Chamber of Commerce, and I got to visit more interesting to visit. My history studies interesting ruins. were a valuable complement to my studies In 1998 I undertook an extensive study in international economics. visit to Guatemala and other parts of Cen- Now I’ve got back in contact with my tral America, and came into contact with a teacher Hernán Horna and lectured at the rescue project linked to the Heritage Board department in Uppsala. So you can say Helmer Broberg has made good use in Guatemala City.’ that I’ve come full circle 23 years after I of his history studies. studied here.’ What is it that needs rescuing? ‘There are several threats. Partly the en- Why were you attracted to Mayan croaching vegetation which crushes the culture in particular? buildings. Partly grave robbers, who break ‘There are many interesting aspects, such into the temples. as beautiful art and impressive buildings. You can’t monitor everything, because They were extremely advanced in terms there are so very many archaeological sites. of astronomy and writing. And the fact Instead the rescue patrols travel around fix- that there are so many remains in the jun- ing the damage retrospectively. If nothing is gle makes it even more exciting. Above all, done the buildings simply fall down.’ ancient cultures put our own civilisation in perspective. There were many highly or- ganised before us.’ n

You can’t monitor everything, because there are so very many archaeological sites.

38 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015 The Royal Academic Orchestra, with its conductor Stefan Karpe, will be performing in West Side Story. A fascination with MAYAN CULTURE

TEXT: ANNICA HULTH PHOTO: OSKAR VALLINDER

West Side Story PRODUCED BY THE UNIVERSITY

TEXT: JOSEFIN SVENSSON PHOTO: JOHANNES BORGEGÅRD

This year, Uppsala THE UNIVERSITY HAS just begun work chestra, with its conductor Stefan Karpe, pro- on its third musical theatre production. West vides the frramework for the performance, University will be presenting Side Story will follow the operatic produc- together with director Dan Turdén and pro- the musical West Side Story tions of Tosca in 2008 and Othello in 2010. ducer Anna Live Jonsson. On stage, the cast The musical forms part of the cultural col- will be made up of a mixture of professionals as part of the ‘The Good laboration project entitled ‘The Good City’. and amateurs. To find talents with different City’ collaboration project. ‘At Uppsala University, research is taking backgrounds, auditions have been organised place within a number of different subject in Umeå, Gothenburg and Uppsala. Ten performances are areas which are related to the development ‘The university’s involvement in the planned, with the première of towns. This is an opportunity to high- project is all about creating encounters. light this work and create encounters be- We therefore seeking breadth in the cast to on 5 November. tween science and the general public’, says create these encounters’, says Margaretha pro-vice-chancellor Anders Malmberg. Andersson, director of Uppsala University’s Uppsala University’s Royal Academic Or- and Museums section. n

Then click on ‘Reset password’. A new Welcome to the new password will be sent to your registered Login for alumni: e-mail address. www.alumnnatverk.uu.se alumni system Feel free to contact us at: One important new feature of the new [email protected] Uppsala University has changed alumni system is the opportunity to link your per- sonal profile to your LinkedIn account, For more information: system, from MiraNetwork to Alumninät. www.uu.se/alumn To log into Alumninät, you need a new and to collect career information by click- password. Click on the ‘Forgotten pass- ing a button providing a direct link to word’ link on the login page. Enter your LinkedIn. This means that you can easily username (your e-mail address) in the field. transfer certain information from your LinkedIn profile. n

39 THE LAST WORD PHOTO: MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT PHOTO:

The Last Word DOREEN STABINSKY visiting professor of climate change leadership

The eyes of the world will be on Paris

THE SIGNS OF climate change are all as there world governments are expected around us if we care to look. And we should to sign a brand new legal agreement on cli- care. Not least because changing climatic mate action. conditions and the associated impacts of Frankly and sadly, I expect little from this climate change, such as sea level rise, will meeting, but I’m looking forward to being It takes us caring. cause major disruptions in where we are proven wrong. To date, the richest countries Not just about changes able to grow food, who will grow food, and of the world have not taken on greenhouse who will eat. gas emission reductions commensurate in the climates where For example, in low-lying Bangladesh, with their responsibility, nor provided suffi- we live, but also about millions will be forced from the lands they cient support to developing countries to ad- now cultivate because of sea level rise and dress climate change impacts—impacts that changes in sea levels the contamination of their freshwater aqui- are the direct result of emissions by the rich. in Bangladesh. fers with salt water. What will it take to come out of Paris Since 1992, when countries of the world with an agreement that has meaning and agreed to the United Nations Framework teeth? It takes us caring. Not just about Convention on Climate Change, the global changes in the climates where we live, but community of nations has had a multilat- also about changes in sea levels in Bang- eral forum to collectively consider how to ladesh. Not just about changing our own address climate change and its impacts. The consumption habits, but in holding our rich parties to the climate convention have year- country governments both accountable and ly meetings, where diplomats debate what responsible for financing energy transfor- steps should be taken, by whom, and most mations in our home countries and in the importantly, paid for by whom. developing world. One more of these meetings will hap- The climate crisis is real. As Pär pen this year—in Paris, in December. The Holmgren titled his most recent book: The eyes of the world will be on that meeting, least we can do is as much as possible. n

40 NEW HORIZONS: Issue 1.2015